


Innocence

by SkyFireForever



Series: Loved and Lost [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, House Elves, Innocence, Love, Original Character(s), Regulus Black Feels, Regulus Black-centric, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-11 19:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18430142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: What does it mean to be innocent?





	1. Marbles

**Author's Note:**

> I'm playing around a bit with the ages because I really don't care.

Perpetua Perez was born into the  _ mostly  _ pure-blooded Perez family. She was the only child and heir of Valentina and Mateo Perez, two rather wealthy and respected members of the wizarding community. Perpetua was accustomed to a certain degree of respect and recognition from those around her. She was expected to behave with dignity and grace, to be the perfect example of a pure-blood lady. She was honestly quite bored by the trivial acts of “proper” behavior and would rather behave a bit improperly at times. Ever since she was a small child, she enjoyed discovering just how much she could get away with. She learned early on that one could say most anything as long as it was accompanied by a charming smile. 

By the age of eight, she had learned to take what wouldn’t be missed. She still kept the first item she had even stolen without getting caught; a small doll that she had taken from a girl’s room while her family was visiting the girl’s family. The doll had been resting on a shelf, made of porcelain and purely decorative. It was in pristine condition, clearly having never been played with. Perpetua knew from the moment she laid eyes on the thing that its absence would go completely unnoticed. When she had taken it, slipping it beneath her robes, she had felt no guilt or remorse. It was only a forgotten doll, something that wouldn’t be missed or replaced. From that day on, Perpetua enjoyed taking what would easily be forgotten. 

The first time Perpetua met the Black family, she was nine years old. She was wearing her nicest dress, her dark hair styled perfectly in a neat bun. She easily wore a charming smile as she was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Black, bowing her head and making polite conversation. She allowed her parents to parade her around, telling the Blacks of her talent with languages and instruments. 

“Fluent in four languages,” they had said. “And you should hear her play the violin.” They were only ever so proud when with company. 

She was introduced to the rather large Black family, including cousins and siblings. Eventually, the time came for her to meet the Black children. She was presented to the Black sisters first. Three girls stood side-by-side, all wearing matching, forced smiled, all hiding something different behind their eyes. 

The eldest sister, Bellatrix, held deep contempt just under the green of her eyes. She was clearly judging Perpetua, trying to decide if she was good enough to deserve her family’s name and presence. There was a darkness about the girl that put Perpetua on edge, made her feel distrustful. Even as the girl spoke, she spoke of violence with an almost childlike glee that Perpetua found to be unsettling. She quickly decided that she did not like Bellatrix Black. 

Andromeda was polite, sweet, and utterly boring. There was something about her that almost lulled Perpetua to sleep. There was nothing necessarily wrong with the girl, she was just incredibly dull. She spoke so optimistically, clearly an idealist. Perpetua never cared for idealists; they were too dull and one-note. There was no changing their point of view because they didn’t want it to be changed. They were purposefully blinding themselves. 

Narcissa was the one Perpetua liked the most. She was proper, but held a familiar edge to her. She delivered her prepared lines with just a touch of sarcasm that would go undetected by someone unfamiliar with it. Perpetua was very familiar with that particular coping mechanism, as she did it herself. The back-and-forth she carried on with Narcissa held more meaning than just the surface level. She quickly decided that her and Narcissa were going to be good friends. 

The other Black siblings came next: Sirius, Bianca, and Regulus. Perpetua wasn’t as impressed with them as she had been with the sisters. In fact, she was almost disappointed by them. 

Sirius was loud. That was the first thing Perpetua noticed about him. He was loud, rude, and obnoxious. She didn’t care for him at all. He didn’t seem to care for her either. He spent most of the time pointing out flaws in her appearance or clothing, being a complete arse the entire time. She quickly became frustrated by his rudeness and boldness. He didn’t seem to care what she thought of him, wearing messy clothes and having even messier hair. He just didn’t care and that infuriated Perpetua greatly. 

The only daughter, Bianca Black, was even more boring than Andromeda had been. She was quiet and fidgety and nervous, stumbling over her words and never meeting Perpetua’s gaze. She was anxious for reasons unknown to Perpetua and it showed. Bianca seemed completely unable to even feign confidence, much to Perpetua’s frustration. She quickly grew bored of the girl and was ready to move on. 

Regulus Black was clearly the favorite child. They didn’t even attempt to keep it a secret, showering Regulus in praise and talking about how proud they were of him. He soaked up the praise like a sponge, smirking to himself. Perpetua already wanted to slap the stupid smirk off of his face. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he wasn’t so proud of being the special little golden boy of his family. All he talked about were his accomplishments and his future. It was drab and dull and Perpetua just wanted him to shut up. 

After dinner, Perpetua’s parents were mingling with the Blacks and Perpetua was permitted to wander around. She hummed to herself as she journeyed through the halls, peering into each room. When she reached an empty bedroom, she allowed herself to slip inside. She glanced around the room, making her way towards the bed. She sat herself down and laid back, her head landing against the pillow. She crossed her arms behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. She was remarkably bored and uncomfortable in her stiff dress. She closed her eyes and found herself drifting off in the bed that wasn’t hers. 

When she awoke, she was still alone in the bedroom. She sat up with a yawn, hair slightly disheveled and dress wrinkled. She gazed around the room, eyes landing on a jar of marbles sitting atop a tall shelf. She smirked to herself and got out of the bed, creeping towards the jar. She set a foot on the bottom shelf, pulling herself up so she could begin climbing. She climbed up and up until she could place her hands around the jar and pull it off before slowly beginning her descent. She hopped off of the shelves with the jar firmly in hand, smirking to herself. She opened the jar and pulled out a single marble, pocketing it before putting the jar back in its place. She turned around to see one of the Black boys standing in the doorway. 

“What are you doing?” Regulus questioned, eyes narrowing at her. “Why are you in my room?”

Perpetua shrugged easily. “Where else would I be?” She challenged, smoothing out her dress. “I was just exploring.” 

“Why are you exploring in  _ my  _ room?” 

“Because it was the room I found,” Perpetua replied haughtily. “Exploring doesn’t have a specific destination.” 

Regulus frowned. “You still shouldn’t be in my room.” He insisted. “Girls aren’t supposed to be in here.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway. “Get out.” 

Perpetua rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She said simply. “Fine, I’ll go. No big deal.” She walked past Regulus on her way out, hiding a smirk. It didn’t matter if she was getting kicked out; she already had what she wanted. 


	2. All Aboard

Perpetua stood on Platform 9 ¾, telling her parents goodbye. She was eleven years old and about to depart on her first journey to Hogwarts. Her parents insisted that she was ready, but she wasn’t quite certain, not that she would ever dare to admit that. She would never admit that she was scared or worried or anything but absolutely confident in her abilities. She knew better than to show anything less. 

She nodded curtly at both of her parents before making her way to the train. She boarded uneasily, making her way through the thick crowd. She felt as though she was in a forest of people, all of them towering above her, sucking the oxygen right out of her lungs. She felt like she was suffocating, drowning in a sea of overheard conversations and snippets of dialogue. She just wanted to push through and find empty land as soon as possible. 

She eventually found her way through the crowd and into a compartment. She slid the door shut behind her and leaned her back against it, taking in lungfuls of life-giving oxygen. She ran a hand through her dark hair and it was only then that she realized that she wasn’t alone in the compartment. 

“You can’t sit here.” The boy snapped at her, his dark curls hanging to cover his eyes. Perpetua recognized him as Regulus Black, the boy who she had met when they were both children. 

Perpetua stood up straighter, chest puffing out and head held high. “I believe that I can sit here.” She replied easily, walking over to sit across from the boy. “See? I’m sitting here right now.” She pointed out, leaning against the seat cushions. She smirked wickedly at Regulus, proud of herself for winning that little game. 

“You’re not  _ allowed _ to sit here.” Regulus barked, his voice a low growl. 

“Says who? I don’t see any signs posted saying that it’s against any rules.” She crossed her arms. 

“Says me!” He snapped, lunging forward in his seat. “I don’t want you here. I don’t want anyone here. I sit alone, thank you very much.” 

Perpetua simply shrugged, brushing her hair back. “Not anymore.” She was determined to win at this point, not willing to back down. 

The boy groaned and gathered his things. “Fine.” He stood up. “If you won’t leave, then I will.” He made his way out of the compartment and down the corridor. 

Perpetua hesitated a moment before standing and following him out. If she let him just walk away, she would be losing. She refused to lose. She followed him down the hall and slid open the compartment door once he had finally taken a seat somewhere new. He looked up in surprise and frustration. 

“What do you  _ want?”  _ He asked her. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?” 

“Because I don’t want to.” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If she wanted to leave him alone, she would have done so by now. She sat across from him once again, smiling cheerfully at him. 

Regulus crossed his arms and sunk into his seat, pouting. He was clearly upset by the turn of events, but he had given up on fighting her about it. He suddenly looked up, studying Perpetua very closely. “I know you.” He realized. “You’re that girl who came to my house two years ago.” He scowled. “You stole my marble!” 

Perpetua blinked innocently. “Marble? What marble?” She played dumb, acted like she had no idea what he was talking about. Of course, it was all just an act. She knew exactly what he was talking about and the marble she had stolen was somewhere in her trunk. It was a clean, white ball of glass that she had fallen in love with. She often held it in her hand when she was stressed or nervous. It was easy to hide in her pocket and fiddle with whenever she felt like she needed to. She was honestly surprised that Regulus had noticed the marble was missing. People rarely noticed the absence of the things she stole. 

“My white marble.” Regulus uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. “It was the only white marble in my jar. It went missing after you left and I saw you with the jar. You stole it.” 

“I didn’t steal anything from you.” She crossed her arms. “I have enough money to buy as many marbles as I want. Why would I steal one from you?” For the fun of the game; of course, but she wasn’t about to tell anybody else that. 

Regulus shrugged. “I don’t know why thieves steal.” He remarked simply. “I just know that’s what you are.” 

“You’re calling me a thief?” She was almost offended. Sure, she stole things, but the word “thief” sounded so much worse than what she did. She never took anything important or for money. She stole for the fun of it, not for any other petty reasons. 

“You are a thief.” Regulus insisted, shaking his head. “You’re a person who steals things. People who steal things are thieves.” 

“Thieves steal for money or revenge,” Perpetua argued. “Thieves are petty. I don’t steal for any petty reasons like money. I have plenty of money. I don’t steal anything important, either. I’m not a criminal.” 

Regulus rolled his eyes and leaned back. “Why do you steal, then?” He asked, giving her a chance to explain herself. “Stealing for any reason is pretty criminal.” 

“I don’t steal anything important.” She repeated. “I just steal out of boredom.” She admitted. “It’s something private for me to do. It can’t be spoiled by my family or anyone else.” She leaned back. “That’s  _ if  _ I stole your marble, which I never said I did.” 

Regulus blinked, staring at her. “You just admitted to your reasons for stealing it! Of course, you stole it.” 

“I never claimed to steal anything.” She argued. “I gave a hypothetical reason for a hypothetical situation.” 

“I want my marble back.” He insisted, green eyes peering at her. “Where is it? Do you still have it?”

“I never claimed to have it in the first place.” Perpetua pointed out. 

Regulus sighed heavily. “Why are you making this so difficult?”

“I like making things difficult.” She smiled sweetly. “It makes things more fun.” 

“You are insufferable,” Regulus muttered. “I don’t like you.”

Perpetua tilted her head and studied Regulus. “I think you’re lying.” She decided. “I think you find me entertaining.” 

“What gives you that idea?” 

“You haven’t yelled at me yet, not really.” Perpetua shrugged. “If you were really all that angered by me, you would have done  _ something  _ to get me to leave.” 

“I don’t know about that.” He mumbled, refusing to look at the girl. “What’s your name again? I don’t remember.” 

“Perpetua.” She introduced herself. “Perpetua Perez.” 

“And I’m Regulus Black.” He nodded in her direction. 

“I knew that.” She pointed out. 

Regulus shrugged. “I don’t care.” 

“You’re probably going to be in Slytherin, aren’t you?” She remarked. “I know that I am.” Her voice radiated pride. She knew that she would be a Slytherin. She was as cunning and ambitious as she could be. She was perfect for Slytherin. Regulus came from a long line of Slytherins, so it only made sense for him to also be in that house. However, his siblings had both proven to break that mold. Sirius had gotten into Gryffindor, something that his family had looked down on in disgust. Bianca had gotten into Ravenclaw, a fact that was brushed aside and ignored by most of the family. Regulus; however, seemed to fit the mold that his family provided for him and was far more likely to get into Slytherin. 

“Of course I’m getting into Slytherin.” Regulus scoffed. “Of course I am. I’m not like my siblings.” He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. “It’s not my fault that they’re disappointments.” 

“Wow, harsh.” She noted dramatically. 

Regulus shrugged. “It’s just true.” He insisted. 

Perpetua shrugged. “Well, I’ve gotta get dressed in my robes, so you can go change somewhere else.” 

“What? Why do  _ I  _ have to leave?” He questioned. “I was in this compartment first!”   


“Ladies get priority.” She said simply, still smiling. “Go on, go change.” 

Regulus groaned. “Fine.” He muttered, standing up and gathering his clothes. “Whatever.” He stormed out of the compartment to change. Perpetua smiled to herself, knowing that he would come back. She’d already decided that she enjoyed messing with Regulus Black. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments help a lot!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave comments! They keep me going as a writer!


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